Here you can find useful information regarding moving to Iceland, as well as relocating within the country. All information has been sourced from the website island.is or mcc.is

ID number

 Every person who lives in Iceland is registered at Registers Iceland and has a personal ID number (kennitala) which is a unique, ten-digit number.

Your personal ID number is your personal identifier.

 

Why get an ID number?

ID numbers are necessary to access a wide range of services, such opening a bank account, registering your legal domicile and signing up for an Electronic ID.

As an EEA or EFTA citizen, you may stay in Iceland for three to six months without being registered. The time period is calculated from the day of arrival in Iceland.

If staying longer you need to register with the Register Iceland.

All the necessary information about the process you find here.

 

How to apply?

 To apply for Icelandic ID number, you must fill in an application called A-271 that can be found here.

The first six digits of a national ID number show the day, month and year of your birth. Connected to your national ID number, Registers Iceland keeps track of vital information on your legal domicile, name, birth, changes of address, children, legal relationship status, etc.

 

 

Moving to Iceland from EEA/EFTA region

 

EEA / EFTA member states

 The EEA / EFTA member states are the following:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

 

Staying up to six months

 A citizen of an EEA/EFTA member state may stay in Iceland without a residence permit for up to three months from his/her arrival in Iceland or stay up to six months if he/she is seeking employment.

If you are an EEA/EFTA citizen who intends to work in Iceland for less than 6 months you need to contact Iceland Revenue and Customs (Skatturinn), regarding the application of a system ID number. See further information here on the website of Registers Iceland.

 

Staying longer

If the individual plans to reside longer in Iceland, he/she shall register his right to residency with Registers Iceland. You will find information about all types of circumstances on the website of Registers Iceland.

 

 

System ID number

If you are an EEA/EFTA citizen who intends to work in Iceland for less than 3-6 months you need to contact the Iceland Revenue and Customs regarding the application of a system ID number.

Only public authorities can apply for a system ID number for foreign citizens and applications must be submitted electronically.

 

Personal ID number

 

Personal ID numbers are issued at birth to all children born in Iceland and Icelandic citizens born abroad. Personal ID numbers are also assigned to all individuals who register their domicile in Iceland. When domicile is registered in Iceland a personal ID number is assigned in the national register, or in cases where individual is already registered in the system ID register, the system ID no. is moved from register of System ID No. to the National register. Entitlement to public services and assistance is generally dependent on having a registered legal domicile. It is therefore recommended that individual register their legal domicile as soon as possible.

Personal ID number i.e. register of domicile in Iceland is free and can only be assigned by Registers Iceland. In cases where individual is not a citizen of the Nordic countries or EEA/EFTA then the Directorate of Immigration applies for ID number and registration of domicile in Iceland to Registers Iceland.

Moving to Iceland

When moving abroad you must register your move with Registers Iceland within 7 days of moving. In the case of married or cohabitating couples, the spouse must give their approval for the move.

When moving to another Nordic country, the individual must register the move with the relevant office in the host country so that the various rights and privileges can be transferred between countries.

Register your move from Iceland abroad (except to another Nordic country)

Changing the Legal Domicile of a Minor

 

Registering a new legal domicile for a minor in shared parental custody will only be accepted by the Registers of Iceland if both parents have given their approval. If the minor is moving from one parent with shared custody to another, you must also submit an agreement to update the legal domicile of a minor from the district commissioner's office.

If the minor is moving to a third party, you must also submit approval from the third party and approval from at least one of the parents with custody if the parents are married or registered as cohabitating.

If one parent has full custody, then their signature is sufficient, but the non-custodial parent must be notified of the new legal domicile at least six weeks before it takes effect.

When the move is international (to or from Iceland), you must also submit information on the custody arrangement from the minor's home country. This enables the new country to register the minor's custody arrangement and simplifies other aspects of the minor's move to the new country.

 

Changing Legal Domicile as a Couple

As a rule, partners in marriage and partners registered as cohabitating share the same legal domicile. However, partners are allowed to register different legal domiciles if both partners agree to the registration.

If the couple wishes to enter a trial separation, this information should be provided in the comment section when registering their new legal domiciles with Registers Iceland. A legal divorce, however, is processed by the district commissioner. If a legal divorce has been finalized abroad, supporting documents will need to be presented.

If a couple decides to register their legal domicile together again after a trial separation, approval is needed from both partners. Once a couple has registered their legal domicile together again the legal implications of the trial separation are removed.

Change your legal domicile as a couple

 

 Property Taxes, Public Sewage Fee and Trash Collection

 

Property taxes are always levied on the legal owner of a residential property. When a property is sold, the taxes and other public fees associated with the property are generally transferred when the deed is signed. Property taxes are calculated based on the property's assessed value and generally includes fees associated with trash collection, but that may vary from municipality to municipality. Public water and sewage fees are based on the property taxes plus a fee per square meter.

So when you move your property taxes and public water and sewage fees will inevitably change depending on the size of the property and any other extra charges for the location.

 Moving Children between Schools

When you move into a new school district, you need to notify the relevant municipality and apply to any preschool or primary school as the case may be.

Daycare facilities/child minders are not administered by local authorities, so you'll have to deal directly with the facilities/child minder. Once a child has been allotted a spot in daycare you can apply for a subsidy to the municipality.